How to Remove a Door Panel
Car owners who like to do car repairs themselves often find themselves needing to remove the door panels temporarily from their vehicle. Whether it’s because you’re installing speakers, fixing power windows or locks, replacing side mirrors or changing window cranks, knowing how to take away the car panels is a very handy knowledge. If you’re not sure of how to do this, here’s a guide.
What You’ll Need:
Car
Screwdrivers
L-pick
Ratchet and socket
Flashlight
Procedure:
Examine your door and the panels, and see how they connect to the car. Most types have bolts and screws, but there are some which have snap-in fittings. If yours has the snap-in fittings, you’ll need a flathead screwdriver, but for bolts and screws, an ordinary screwdriver or a socket and ratchet would suffice.
Roll your car window down, then start removing the bolts and screws attaching the door panel to the car. For snap-in fittings, carefully pry the door panel’s bottom corner, until the fittings pop out.
For cars with power windows, remove the control panel of the window. Most units have panels that can be pried out easily. Unplug the wiring harness from the back, then put it to one side.
Locate the manual window crank with the help of an L-pick and a flashlight. Try to look at the back of the window crank, then slide the pick under, just beneath the metal clip’s edge. This is the one that’s holding the crank in place. Take away the clip then pull off the crank.
Unscrew the small screw in the center of the door handle, to remove it. Afterwards, pull out the door handle gently, until you can see its back. Unclip the rod from the handle, to remove the handle. If the door lock and handle are attached, just find the lock and unclip the rod from it, so they’ll both be removed.
Carefully unscrew the cap from the door panel locks at the rear upper corner. These won’t have a rod adhering them to the handle. Unscrew them from the door handle separately.
When you’ve removed everything, pop off the door panel. Pry the panel’s bottom edge gently, until it’s released. Afterwards, pull out then upwards, to remove the door panel completely.
Removing car door panels properly ensure that they won’t be damaged when you’re doing maintenance or repairs. Follow these steps, and get out your panels the right way.